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Women who use hair dyes for more than
20 years may be nearly doubling
their risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis,
according to researchers.
Investigators in Sweden also found that
smoking, diabetes, and a
short period of fertility in women also increase
the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, in which the body's immune
system attacks the joints.
On the other hand, higher education levels
and hay fever were associated with lower risks of developing
the disease.
The researchers report that insulin use
in women and previous injury to the joints also increased
the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. In men, risk was linked
to being born in a household with a private well and exposure
to mold and farm animals.
Annals
of the Rheumatic Diseases October 2001;60:934-939
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